The U.S. Army’s 250th birthday parade isn’t the only procession taking to the streets in the D.C. region tomorrow (Saturday).
The Town of Vienna will host a parade of its own to kick off its fifth annual Liberty Amendments Month celebrations, which shine a light on the 13th, 14th, 15th and 19th amendments to the U.S. Constitution for bringing the country closer to its egalitarian ideals, at least on paper.
Starting at 10 a.m. at the Vienna Town Green, the kick-off parade will travel down Maple Avenue to Nutley Street and conclude at the First Baptist Church of Vienna (450 Orchard Street NW) for its Juneteenth Celebration, set for 11 a.m. to 3 p.m..
Rolling street closures on southbound Maple Avenue from Mill Street NE to Nutley Street and in the residential neighborhood along Nutley Street will be needed to accommodate the parade. All northbound lanes on Maple Avenue will remain open.
“The Juneteenth celebration will feature family-friendly activities including live music, food trucks, children’s entertainment, a car show, bounce houses and voter registration,” the Town of Vienna said in a press release.
Other Liberty Amendments Month highlights include the return of a naturalization ceremony on June 21 as part of the commemorations for the 14th and 15th amendments, which established birthright citizenship, guaranteed equal protection under the law to everyone and codified the right to vote regardless of race.
Preceded at 3:30 p.m. by a live taiko drumming performance, the ceremony will begin at 5 p.m. in the Vienna Community Center’s Seeman Auditorium (120 Cherry St. SE) with the Vienna Girl Scouts presenting the colors and leading the pledge of allegiance. Fifteen people are set to take the Oath of Allegiance and officially become U.S. citizens.
Remarks are expected from Mayor Linda J. Colbert, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Washington Field Office Section Chief Juan Wood and “a special guest to be announced,” according to the event page.
Also coming up:
- Restricted Vienna (June 18, 6:30-8:30 p.m.): University of Mary Washington professor Dr. Krystyn Moon leads a talk at the Vienna Community Center about the history of housing discrimination and how racial covenants shaped Vienna and Fairfax County. A workshop will also help people research their property records and remove any racial restrictions. Registration is encouraged.
- Goodbye LAM Mural (June 25, 3:30-4:30 p.m.): The town and Fairfax County Public Library will send off the Liberty Amendments Month mural on the side of Patrick Henry Library (101 Maple Avenue East) and “recognize the importance of public art” before construction begins on the new Vienna-Carter Library.
- Foundational Documents Public Reading (July 4, 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m.): With its Independence Day fireworks again taking place on July 2, the Town of Vienna will instead celebrate the Fourth of July by inviting the public to read the Declaration of Independence, the Liberty Amendments and other documents that defined American democracy. The reading will take place at the community center.
- Empowering Women (July 9, 5:45-8:30 p.m.): The Vienna Business Association is hosting a mixer and panel discussion focused on the 19th Amendment, which extended voting rights to women. Speakers will include Del. Holly Seibold (D-12), Historic Vienna Inc. Treasurer Leigh Kitcher, SixDegrees.org Executive Director Stacy Huston and former U.S. Institute of Peace program officer Dr. Negar Ashtari Abay. Registration is encouraged.
- VA250 Mobile Museum (July 10-12, 10 a.m.-6 p.m.): Titled “Out of Many, One,” the mobile museum exhibit launched as part of Virginia’s festivities for America’s semiquincentennial anniversary will be stationed at Vienna Elementary School (128 Center Street South).
A full calendar for Liberty Amendments Month, which lasts through July 14, can be found on the Town of Vienna’s website.
The Town of Vienna first celebrated Liberty Amendments Month in 2021 after Town Manager Mercury Payton proposed the initiative in response to the nationwide protests calling for racial justice in 2020.
Virginia also began observing Juneteenth — the anniversary of the day all enslaved people in the U.S. were officially emancipated — as a state holiday for the first time in 2021. The General Assembly designated June 19 through the third Monday in July of every year as Liberty Amendments Month.
